State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1921 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 72,231 North Carolina births in 1921 across 1,210 distinct names.

Distinctively North Carolina

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say North Carolina more than they say America.

#69Lonnieoutside the national top 200
#71Gradyoutside the national top 200
#72Wadeoutside the national top 200
#55Maggie#173 nationally
#86Sallieoutside the national top 200
#78Rufus#191 nationally
#82Nathaniel#187 nationally
#97Katieoutside the national top 200
#99Nannieoutside the national top 200
#94Elbert#193 nationally
#46Hattie#144 nationally
#82Sadie#176 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,811US #1
#2Margaret1,061US #4
#3Annie935US #36
#4Dorothy911US #2
#5Ruth893US #5
#6Helen792US #3
#7Mildred685US #7
#8Ruby637US #26
#9Elizabeth609US #10
#10Virginia603US #6
#11Frances512US #9
#12Hazel488US #34
#13Louise472US #22
#14Edna438US #27
#15Martha428US #21
#16Sarah408US #54
#17Gladys386US #24
#18Pauline385US #37
#19Thelma379US #30
#20Evelyn376US #12
#21Edith370US #33
#22Ethel364US #32
#23Doris349US #13
#24Alice323US #15
#25Lillian297US #19
#26Lucille287US #31
#27Lillie285US #94
#28Myrtle279US #73
#29Marie269US #14
#30Willie256US #74
#31Mattie255US #105
#32Emma252US #52
#33Bessie241US #75
#34Irene239US #18
#35Grace230US #35
#36Catherine228US #23
#37Minnie224US #96
#38Nellie220US #80
#39Rosa218US #131
#40Carrie215US #126
#41Clara209US #45
#42Lois206US #38
#43Eva202US #63
#44Mabel202US #85
#45Lucy200US #93
#46Hattie198US #144
#47Beatrice196US #41
#48Elsie194US #55
#49Alma192US #78
#50Betty191US #8
#51Ella191US #89
#52Jessie188US #91
#53Bertha187US #59
#54Julia185US #58
#55Maggie184US #173
#56Nancy177US #87
#57Ida174US #67
#58Anna168US #11
#59Rachel168US #152
#60Laura167US #71
#61Viola167US #66
#62Juanita164US #57
#63Katherine164US #49
#64Inez163US #127
#65Lula163US #143
#66Christine162US #118
#67Josephine160US #28
#68Beulah159US #116
#69Marjorie157US #16
#70Fannie156US #135
#71Florence155US #17
#72Mamie154US #150
#73Pearl153US #65
#74Geneva149US #113
#75Esther143US #42
#76Mae143US #110
#77Cora141US #140
#78Margie141US #106
#79Kathleen140US #83
#80Mable135US #155
#81Bernice130US #39
#82Sadie129US #176
#83Eula125US #170
#84Gertrude123US #46
#85Lena122US #104
#86Sallie120
#87Agnes118US #56
#88Naomi118US #132
#89Wilma118US #72
#90Sara117US #115
#91Rebecca116US #175
#92Eunice115US #120
#93Daisy112US #160
#94Dora108US #130
#95Ada107US #145
#96Blanche107US #112
#97Katie107
#98Vivian103US #68
#99Nannie102
#100Vera102US #76

Boys

#1James2,926US #4
#2William2,198US #3
#3John1,699US #1
#4Robert1,193US #2
#5George833US #6
#6Charles791US #5
#7Joseph567US #7
#8Willie563US #34
#9Thomas552US #11
#10Edward450US #8
#11Walter438US #15
#12Paul421US #14
#13Henry418US #17
#14David384US #25
#15Charlie364US #76
#16Fred336US #33
#17Richard315US #10
#18Clarence295US #28
#19Roy287US #32
#20Frank275US #9
#21Joe268US #36
#22Ralph264US #23
#23Howard260US #27
#24Ernest253US #38
#25Jack251US #18
#26Samuel247US #44
#27Arthur243US #19
#28Warren239US #24
#29Harry230US #21
#30Albert228US #20
#31Carl228US #30
#32Harold222US #12
#33Clyde220US #69
#34Earl201US #31
#35Eugene190US #26
#36Raymond185US #16
#37Jesse162US #77
#38Marvin160US #59
#39Johnnie154US #108
#40Claude152US #96
#41Luther145US #123
#42Herbert144US #42
#43Herman141US #64
#44Hubert141US #115
#45Jessie140US #117
#46Ray140US #67
#47Lee126US #86
#48Leroy125US #55
#49Lawrence123US #37
#50Benjamin117US #82
#51Kenneth114US #22
#52Lewis113US #71
#53Oscar113US #92
#54Floyd112US #63
#55Harvey112US #87
#56Cecil110US #79
#57Donald109US #13
#58Leonard106US #39
#59Edgar103US #90
#60Daniel101US #49
#61Horace100US #129
#62Hugh100US #120
#63Louis99US #29
#64Andrew95US #51
#65Elmer94US #48
#66Lester94US #66
#67Alfred92US #43
#68Norman92US #46
#69Lonnie90
#70Earnest89US #138
#71Grady89
#72Wade86
#73Clifton85US #160
#74Melvin85US #53
#75Russell85US #52
#76Vernon85US #68
#77Willard80US #89
#78Rufus77US #191
#79Sam77US #85
#80Archie72US #155
#81Lloyd72US #58
#82Nathaniel72US #187
#83Theodore71US #65
#84Wilbert71US #163
#85Calvin70US #131
#86Milton70US #75
#87Eddie69US #118
#88Julius69US #128
#89Chester68US #56
#90Leon68US #74
#91Allen66US #94
#92Bill66US #121
#93Curtis65US #122
#94Elbert64US #193
#95Glenn64US #80
#96Dewey63US #184
#97Marion63US #102
#98Bruce62US #146
#99Homer62US #105
#100Ben61US #139

On the move since 1920

Rising

↑41Donald#57
↑36Kenneth#51
↑18Betty#50
↑18Marjorie#69
↑17Benjamin#50
↑17Norman#68
↑16Elmer#65
↑15Hugh#62

Falling

↓26Eddie#87
↓20Katie#97
↓19Geneva#74
↓17Mae#76
↓17Glenn#95
↓15Mamie#72
↓15Pearl#73
↓15Vera#100

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1920 rankings.